Motorhoming in Spain

kelbal

Hi guys,
We're planning next years hols already:D

We're thinking of heading to north Spain/Portugal. Was originally thinking of getting the LD lines ferry to Gijon, but it seems as if they're pulling out of Rosslare/St.Nazaire, and potentially St.Nazaire/Gijon now too - so we may just drive down from Brittany. We'll have 7 weeks, so no big time restriction.

Anyway, forgetting about ferries, what's Spain like for a motorhome holiday? Are the roads & towns easy to navigate? Are the supermarkets easily accessible (no height barriers)? Does the same go for access to beaches and tourist sites in terms of height barriers?

We're infrequent campsite visitors (2 campsite nights in 6 weeks this summer), so what's the story with the Spanish equivalent of Aire's (whatever they're called in Spain)?? Would really appreciate advice on this - are there many of them? Are they busy? Are the water & waste facilities easily available if you're using them mostly, and not campsites?

thanks a mil

kelbal

kelbal wrote: »

...what's Spain like for a motorhome holiday?

I tried it for 90 mins. Didn't like it and went back to France.
It's hot. The natives prefer horns instead of indicators because quite often the mirrors are useless in the blazing sun.

piuswal

Will get back in a few weeks when I've checked a few facts and refreshed my memory Been there a few times including in acamper

JonMac

We were there for 90 days last Winter, left from Rosslare to Cherbourg, then 2 days to San Sebastien. We used campsites only and went anticlockwise around the country. Lidl is very common. It wasn't hot, maybe 20 at Christmas near Gibraltar. Driving was easy except don't try to enter any small villages/ side streets; we almost got stuck twice [balconies are a bit low].
Only got turned away once from a full campsite.
We loved it.

Moomat

JonMac wrote: »

We were there for 90 days last Winter, left from Rosslare to Cherbourg, then 2 days to San Sebastien. We used campsites only and went anticlockwise around the country. Lidl is very common. It wasn't hot, maybe 20 at Christmas near Gibraltar. Driving was easy except don't try to enter any small villages/ side streets; we almost got stuck twice [balconies are a bit low].
Only got turned away once from a full campsite.
We loved it.

Did you use campsites all the way?

We ventured onto the Costa Brava and found it wasn't very campervan friendly in terms of places to wild camp etc.... Like Sir Liamalot, we high tailed it back to the campervan utopia that is France.

JonMac

Yes, campsites all the way.
Who in hell would want to spend the Winter months in France, Even the Costa Brava is too cold.
Have you ever looked at the weather maps and noticed how the dodgy stuff runs out on the Pyrenees?
The return up through France late February was very wet, very windy.

piuswal

http://www.vicariousbooks.co.uk/updates_all_the_aires_spain_portugal.shtml
http://www.all-the-aires.com/pdf/spain_and_portugal_compilation.pdf
http://www.camperstop.co.uk/pdf/Intro_all_the_aires_spain.pdf
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-146898-quotall-the-airesquot-spain-amp-portugal-new-book.html
___________________________________________________
and a quote from a motorhomer:

We also used to use the various "All the Aires" books - but we have now switched to just the "Camperstop Europe" one instead.

We have consistently found it to be better, more comprehensive, kept more up to date, more accurate in descriptions; and covers all the main parts of Europe in one go.

As someone who has used both very extensively all over Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany for the past few years now, I personally would suggest it is worth considering the Camperstop book instead.
We have just today got back to home in Spain from our latest 7 week chug around bits of France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, and we've yet again found it to be extremely useful in all of those countries.

Amazon do it, and I think Vicarious do it too.
___________________________________________________________
http://stevegreenphotography.wordpress.com/airesandwildcamping/
http://www.motorhomeandaway.com/aires_2011.html
http://www.clubmotorhome.co.uk/motorhome-stopovers/motorhome-stopovers-portugal.html
http://autocaravaning.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/rest-areas-spain.pdf
http://www.motorhome-list.org.uk/spain.htm
http://www.campervanlife.com/locations/europe/1st-timer-tips

___________________________________________________________
Above are links to various sources on Aires in Spain and Portugal (other places as well).

Obviously there are not as many as France but a good scattering none the less.

The previous advice re driving is spot on - I ended up driving between tables at a cafe in a square in Gerona having taken a wrong turn.

We have only visited 2 Aires and they were very different. The one at Donostia San Sebastian was in the University car park - space for 50 MHs with water and clean out facilities. There was a machine for paying €6 per night but it was well worth it and it's not far from the French border.

Shopping is not a problem.

Of course there is a huge contrast when you cross from the north coast over or through the Los Picos de Europa; much warmer, drier and browner.

All and all Spain and Portugal are very well worth visiting. Not as sophisticated as France.
They have been putting a lot of work into new roads, particularly in Portugal but once you move off the main roads you need to be a bit careful as already mentioned.

A final word of caution; I tied my clothes line from a tree to my wing mirror support on a campsite and found a few ants running across the dashboard next morning. I decided to brush them away before my wife got to see them.
It too us a visit to a supermarket and about 2 hours work before we had them all cleared out. I've never heard anyone else with the same problem but you never know.

Enjoy Spain and Portugal

moodrater

piuswal wrote: »

A final word of caution; I tied my clothes line from a tree to my wing mirror support on a campsite and found a few ants running across the dashboard next morning. I decided to brush them away before my wife got to see them.
It too us a visit to a supermarket and about 2 hours work before we had them all cleared out. I've never heard anyone else with the same problem but you never know.

The costa bava is famous for its ants probably why dali loved painting them. Stand still too long and you'll have an army up your leg.

Moomat

JonMac wrote: »

Yes, campsites all the way.
Who in hell would want to spend the Winter months in France, Even the Costa Brava is too cold.
Have you ever looked at the weather maps and noticed how the dodgy stuff runs out on the Pyrenees?
The return up through France late February was very wet, very windy.

Good point, I forgot that these places aren't always the sunkissed paradises I remember from summers!
We couldn't afford to do it if we had to pay for campsites unfortunately, need to investigate their aires system.

kelbal

Thanks alot for all the helpful info guys

*Kol*

moodrater wrote: »

The costa bava is famous for its ants probably why dali loved painting them. Stand still too long and you'll have an army up your leg.

France is the same. We had a lot of passengers that came home one year. It took a few weeks to get rid of them all.

SeamusG97

kelbal wrote: »

Hi guys,
We're planning next years hols already:D

We're thinking of heading to north Spain/Portugal. Was originally thinking of getting the LD lines ferry to Gijon, but it seems as if they're pulling out of Rosslare/St.Nazaire, and potentially St.Nazaire/Gijon now too - so we may just drive down from Brittany. We'll have 7 weeks, so no big time restriction.

Anyway, forgetting about ferries, what's Spain like for a motorhome holiday? Are the roads & towns easy to navigate? Are the supermarkets easily accessible (no height barriers)? Does the same go for access to beaches and tourist sites in terms of height barriers?

We're infrequent campsite visitors (2 campsite nights in 6 weeks this summer), so what's the story with the Spanish equivalent of Aire's (whatever they're called in Spain)?? Would really appreciate advice on this - are there many of them? Are they busy? Are the water & waste facilities easily available if you're using them mostly, and not campsites?

thanks a mil

Ebro delta. We were tipped off on this by some French friends last summer. Look for it on google maps as the green triangle on the coast south of Barcelona. A wild campers dream. Massive free beaches and parking in small towns. Beautiful but not touristy. Everything ridiculously cheap. Hot in summer but nice in Spring. Easy passage over the Pyrenees at the Tunnel de Somport ( no toll ) or drive south from Collioure

JonMac

Try this, Google will translate it for you:

http://www.areasac.es/v_portal/apartados/apartado.asp?te=4

http://www.lapaca.org/es/areas-de-servicio

Vicarious Books do an aire book too.

Morgan The Moon

piuswal wrote: »

The one at Donostia San Sebastian was in the University car park - space for 50 MHs with water and clean out facilities. There was a machine for paying €6 per night but it was well worth it and it's not far from the French border.


San Sebastian, "this sosta was part funded with EU funds.

Visit the old town " Tappas at it's best ".



Morg

kelbal

Thanks guys, plenty to check out there